Adventures in Babysitting
by Magali1
Summary: Eric babysits and finds that he might get on much better with his new charge than he originally thought. Mostly Eric POV; Tami, Tim, Lyla, and Luke Cafferty make appearances. Complete.
1. Babysitter Wanted

**A/N:** This is just another one of those cutesy little fics I like to write sticking certain characters in different situations. And I wanted to write a fic with Eric babysitting. It just happens to link to my preferred writing topic of Tim and Lyla. Reviews are always welcome and this is just all in good fun. Enjoy!

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"So how are the kids?"

"They're good," Tami drawled, standing in the bathroom. "Just got off the phone with Julie, I guess Henry misses his grandpa so much, he's saying that he's going ot move to Texas when he's old enough."

"Good for him," Eric commented. He missed his grandson too. He lifted his head up from the magazine he was reading. "And Lori?"

"She misses both of us. I miss them. I think we should go back to Chicago next month, maybe for a long weekend."

"Sounds good." He waited for her to crawl into the bed, smiling sideways. He missed his grandchildren something fierce, but…he also missed his wife from time to time. "You know it's been awhile."

She giggled. "You want to?"

"I think I do."

After a few minutes of teenager-like making out, which was more than welcome on his part, the phone began to ring on her nightstand. Damnit! He pulled away, warning her. "Do not answer that phone."

Tami giggled, pushing him away from her, holding up her finger. "Eric, just one phone call, what if it's Julie? Or Gracie? I need to take this."

He rolled off of her, hitting his head against the headboard, his eyes closing. There had been at least twenty times in the last….month, he figured, where she answered her phone and then that was it. No more time for Eric.

"Hey there Tim!"

He pointed to her, his eyes closed. "Hang up that phone right now." Nothing good could come from a phone call from Tim Riggins at ten at night.

"Oh my word! Why, of course, we're on our way."

See? He opened one eye, watching her set her phone back on the nightstand, turning quickly. "What?" he asked, slightly concerned at the shocked expression on her face.

"Buddy Garrity had a heart attack, Tim and Lyla have to go to the hospital, and they need someone to watch Sera. I said we'd be over as soon as we could, we might have to stay most of the day tomorrow, until Billy and Mindy get in from College Station to watch her."

Hell, as much as he thought this wasn't a good idea, as well as how his evening was now ruined, he wouldn't sit little Sera with Billy and Mindy and their four boys. He also wasn't that bad of a guy, he liked to think. He sighed again, getting out of the bed and going towards the closet, removing a pair of jeans from the drawer and an old Dillon t-shirt. "How long you think we'll have to be over there?"

"Well, I figured we'd just wake up with her in the morning and go from there, Tim wasn't sure how long he'd have to be at the hospital, but I guess Lyla is pretty upset about it all." Tami hurried out of the bedroom into the bathroom, closing the door. She yelled through the door. "Make sure you bring a change of clothes in case we have to stay longer!"

Yes, that's the last thing he wanted to do. He picked up a bag from the floor, shoving in an extra set of clothes and walking out of the closet, heading out of the room and down the staircase.

He called Gracie, who was hanging out at a friend's house that evening, letting her know where they'd be and how she could just stay in the house or drive out to Dillon and join them.

After a moment, he called her back. "Better yet, you come out to Uncle Tim's house. I know Sera would love to see you." There. He could keep an eye on her.

"You ready babe?" Tami asked, walking up behind him and rubbing at his shoulder. She picked up her car keys, setting them in his hand. "Let's take the SUV, just in case we have to drive her around."

"Tim has like four cars."

"You just want to drive his Camaro."

Not fair that Tim Riggins has a Camaro and I don't, he thought, scowling a little and leaving the house, climbing up into the passenger seat, since it was Tami's car. He looked out the window, shaking his head. It was past ten at night and here they were, driving out of their comfortable house on the other side of Dillon, heading to the outskirts on the west, where Tim and Lyla lived.

He wondered what they were going to do. For living in the same general area again, it had been a few months since he'd seen Tim. He worked too damn much. And damn, he'd never thought he'd say that about Tim Riggins.

"Good Lord, they live in the middle of nowhere," Tami grumbled, not for the first time about the location of Tim's abode. She turned onto a road, which shot out into blackness. She leaned over the steering wheel. "Where do you think they get light from?"

"They have electricity Tami."

"I know they do, but I don't see any wires or anything. This is just…oh there it is."

Yes, he thought, smiling a bit, when she turned onto the driveway leading around towards Tim and Lyla's farmhouse. There was a gate, but it was open, thankfully. He sat up a little, shaking his head once more at the grandness of Tim's farmhouse. "We should get him to build us a house," he commented.

"No babe, I like our house. It's better than the one in Philadelphia."

"That's because the one in Philly was old and creaky and leaked all the time."

"Yeah, that's true. Come on, sweetheart." She slammed the door, going up onto the porch and knocking on the front door, waiting a moment for it to open.

It swung back, Tim emerging a second later. "Hey," he said, holding a phone in one hand. He looked exhausted. "Come on in, thanks for coming out Coach. Appreciate it."

"Well we wouldn't want to put you out in any way," he said, giving Tim a quick hug, stepping into the foyer. He walked down the corridor along the staircase into the kitchen, looking over his shoulder. "Where's Lyla?"

"She's at the hospital, they took him into surgery, but she's a mess." Tim pointed at the fridge. "List of numbers. I got my phone. Dog goes out whenever he whines and scratches the door. Sera's allergic to…"

Tami waved her hand. "Honey, honey, honey, I raised two babies, both of them were probably far worse than your precious little girl, just leave it to us, okay? You get to the hospital. Tell Lyla we're praying for her and Buddy, you get on now."

He kissed Tami's cheek. "Okay Mrs. Taylor. Thanks you guys again for this, seriously. Um, really fast…"

Eric pushed at his shoulder. "Go Tim, call us with updates, we'll call you with anything."

"Okay, um…the dog, Simba, he's upstairs with Sera. She's got her inhaler thing here…" He pointed to a cabinet, and then towards the fridge. "She likes to eat…well whatever she'll tell you what she wants. Um, she won't take her medicine, you have to hide it like she's a dog in food or something. Cookies usually work best."

He raked his fingers through his hair, folding his hands in front of his mouth. "What else," he mumbled, looking around, shrugging. He grabbed his car keys and jacket. "I'll call you guys. Thanks again."

"Good luck," Tami called, waiting for the door to close. She went to the fridge, studying the list of numbers. All were in Lyla's neat handwriting, doctors, relatives, and the preschool where Sera went. She picked up the duffel bag. "I'm going to go put this in the guest bedroom. We might as well get some sleep."

You try to sleep, he thought, watching her go back out to the stairs. He was too wired. He went from the kitchen into the living room, shaking his head. How was it Tim Riggins had a better TV than he did? Probably because he didn't have Tami telling him it was pointless to get a larger screen, the picture was still the same.

"Who are you?"

He turned, his hands on his hips, smiling a little at Seraphina Riggins. The little girl stood in the doorway of the den and living room, her dark hair sticking up in the back, holding a ratty yellow blanket and wearing an adult-sized Dillon Panthers t-shirt, which came down to her ankles.

She reached down to scratch at her foot, lifting her head back up, eyes drooping a little with sleep. "Where's my Daddy?"

"Well sweetheart, your daddy and mommy had to leave, but they should be back tomorrow."

Sera was no fool. Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Um…because they had to go to the hospital."

Her brow wrinkled, processing that information through her five-year old brain. "Are they sick?" she asked, walking towards him, crawling up into the La-Z-Boy chair, her feet sticking out, bobbing a little in the air. She held her blanket to her tightly, still watching him with a strange, shrewd little gaze.

It kind of made him a bit uncomfortable. Eric walked towards the chair, sitting down on the coffee table in front of her. He held his hand out. This was probably the best way to approach her. "Coach Eric Taylor, we've met before, you probably don't remember. It was a few months ago."

Sera pursed her lips, a little eyebrow lifting, studying his hand. She smiled a bit. Her tiny hand grasped his. "Nice to meet you Coach Taylor. My name is Seraphina Taylor Garrity Riggins."

"Long name for a small girl."

"I'm not that small."

He shrugged. "You look kind of small. How tall are you?"

"I don't know. Taller than Simba?"

Where the heck was that dumb dog anyway, he wondered, peeking around the corner into the kitchen. It was a monstrosity. Kid was right to name him after a lion. "I think that's a stretch," he advised, glancing out the corner of his eye at the clock on the cable box. It was probably way past her bedtime. "Think you should get back to bed Sera."

"Daddy has to sing me a song when I can't sleep." She shrugged. "And I can't sleep."

"Well I can't sing very well."

"Daddy sucks, but he still sings to me." Sera narrowed her eyes again. Her little lips quirked in a smile. She whispered. "You know…" She slid off the chair, her eyes downcast, dragging her big toe back and forth on the ground, swaying lightly. "If I don't get my song…I don't sleep and…well…" She lifted her eyes, smiling innocently, her hazel eyes sparkling. "I get kind of cranky. Mommy says so."

Was that a veiled threat? Eric frowned at her. He had two daughters. It had been awhile since either were as small as Sera, but he never remembered a threat from one of them like this. They were usually more overt. Give me candy or I'll scream type of things.

He wondered where she got it from. Tim didn't bother with threats; he just went ahead and did what he wanted to do. Lyla…he didn't know her that well. He nodded, pointing at Sera, who broke into a wide smile. "You're good," he stated, getting up from the coffee table. He pointed towards the staircase. "But I'm better."

"No you're not."

"I think I am. I have two daughters and two grandkids."

Sera narrowed her eyes again, her head cocking a bit up at him. "I don't have a brother or a sister. Mommy says one Riggins is enough."

"Your Mommy might very well be right on that."

"I want a sister."

"No you don't."

She pursed her lips again, waiting a beat before grinning. "Can I call you Uncle Coach?"

"You can call me Uncle Eric."

"Okay Uncle Coach." She turned around, going into the kitchen, climbing into a pink booster seat at the table, leaning forwards a bit, and still holding her yellow blanket. She nodded towards the fridge. "I want a glass of milk."

He went to the fridge, glancing at the list of 'approved' food items. If he remembered right, she was allergic to just about everything under the sun. Milk was acceptable, he guessed, figuring that Lyla was probably one of those mothers who measured out every cup of vegetable and piece of fruit to ensure it was the right amount for her age group or something.

People coddled kids too much, he thought. He pulled out a glass from the cupboard, pouring in some milk and then shoved it in the microwave.

"Whoa…what are you doing?"

"Warming the milk."

Sera gave him a quizzical look, which he'd seen on Tim more than once. "Why?" she whispered.

"It makes you sleep."

"Daddy singing makes me go to sleep."

"What does he sing to you?" He hit the button to warm the milk up for a few seconds, turning and leaning back against the countertop. He couldn't picture Tim singing anything. Unless maybe he was drunk.

The little girl shrugged, climbing off the booster seat and dragging her blanket on the ground, going to the pantry, where she rummaged for a moment, removing a cookie and biting into it, speaking through crumbs. "It's called My Girl."

Aw, that was sweet, he thought, removing the glass of milk and handing it to her. He pointed to it. "Milk is good with cookies."

She peered into it and then back up. "Why's it make you sleepy?"

"I don't know. Just does."

"Why?"

"Because it's magic."

She rolled her eyes. "No such thing as magic."

Well that was new. A five-year old who didn't believe in magic. Eric shrugged again, his hands going to his pockets. "I suggest you drink that and eat your cookie, then you should go upstairs to bed."

"You still have to sing to me."

"I'm not singing to you."

Sera set her glass on the kitchen stool, since she couldn't reach the counter, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, going upstairs, her hand holding the bottom of her t-shirt up a little so she wouldn't trip. She turned a corner, going into her bedroom, giggling. "Simba! Silly doggy!"

So there was Simba, he thought, shaking his head at the strange golden retriever and English sheepdog mix. He did look like an lion. The dog's tail thumped on the bed, his head lifting when Sera climbed up beside him, her arms going around his neck. She smiled, sighing happily. "This is my dog. His name is Simba."

"I can see that."

"The Lion King is my favorite movie."

"Not Beauty and the Beast?"

"No. That's Mommy's favorite movie." She sighed, her head falling back against her Lion King pillowcase, her little hand curled into Simba's fur, the dog setting his head beside hers on the pillow. She yawned a couple of times, her voice quiet. "Mommy says that Daddy is the Beast and Daddy says that Mommy is Belle. It means beautiful."

He smiled, nodding and going over to kneel beside her bed. "Yeah, I can see why she likes it."

"Sing to me please Uncle Coach."

"I'm not going to sing to you."

She yawned again, turning a bit, her voice even quieter. "Where's Daddy again?"

"He's with Mommy and your grandpa." He didn't want to tell her why, so as not to alarm her, especially since the warm milk was apparently doing its job. He smiled a little, cocking his head, studying her as she closed her eyes.

When was the last time he saw the grandkids? About three months ago. Actually, the same time he saw Sera, at the reunion event. He sighed, smiling again. They were the cutest when they were sleeping. Or in that half-sleep stage. "Good night Sera."

He waited a second and stood up, leaving her room with the rotating nightlight, pictures of horses crossing the ceiling, which had light-up stars and planets stuck to it.

Across the hall, he found Tami in the guest room, talking on her phone, scribbling down stuff on a scrap of paper. "Alright…okay…I won't come by the hospital then. Alright Tim. Yeah, she's sleeping…okay. Tell Lyla again…anything…of course. Bye Tim." She disconnected her phone, dropping it onto the bed, scrubbing at her face. She smiled, her eyes shadowed a little, obviously tired. "How is Sera? She sleeping?"

"She's a little con artist in the making."

"What?"

"She woke up, demanded who I was, and then tried to get a song out of me. Threatened me that she would be cranky if she didn't sleep and she needed a song."

Tami slipped off her glasses, dropping them on the nightstand with her phone. "And I take it that you sang for her?"

"I conned her into drinking a glass of warm milk, she's out with the dog."

"Well good for you sweetheart."

He puffed his chest a little, rather proud. "I may not have had to deal with five-year olds for some time Tami, but I am still a father."

"Hmm….well you're on your own in the morning, because I have a board meeting to go to. Tim said he'll drop by, but it looks like they'll be there most of the morning and then Lyla is flying out with Buddy on a helicopter to Austin."

He frowned, concerned. A heart attack was one thing, but Dillon wasn't that bad of a hospital. Buddy was also one of his closest friends; try as he might to deny it. "Why does Buddy have to go to Austin?"

"He's going to need some other type of surgery and Lyla doesn't trust the doctors at Dillon, she's checking him in for surgery at Austin, where there are better cardio surgeons." Tami leaned back against the pillows, closing her eyes, reaching to pat his knee. "Tim is going to drop by here tomorrow to explain the situation to Sera, but then he has to go to Austin, I told him you'd stay here with her while I go back to work."

That didn't make total sense. "Why do I have to stay?"

"Tim says that Sera gets a little nervous and scared when she's in a new location, so its best to just keep her here, especially with what's going on with Buddy."

Well that was fine, but…he sighed, crawling beneath the covers and flicking off the light, staring up at the ceiling. He turned his head a little. "Are you going to come back here after work tomorrow? How long will we have to do this, because I think we should just bring her and the dog over to our house."

"Eric, all her things are here. Her whole life is here, I agree with Tim, I think for the next couple of days we should just stay here. He's going to try to get someone else to watch her, but quite frankly, his options are Billy and Mindy or Angela Collette. I would much rather we disrupt our lives if those are who will be taking care of Sera during this time." She reached down to squeeze his hand, smiling sideways. "I'll send all your playbooks this way so you can work on them with her."

He shook his head. That was a whole other thing they were going to have to deal with. He did have a job. He could stay out of the locker room during the day, but he had to be there for practice.

Maybe Sera could come with him.

They'd deal with it tomorrow.


	2. Instructions

**A/N:** Thanks so much for the reviews! I hope Eric is true to form in this fic. It's just very cutesy, but not outright humor, since there's some serious parts. Enjoy!

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"Good morning sunshine," Eric greeted Sera, holding a cup of coffee in his hands. He smiled at the little girl, always liking it when little kids were in that strange half-sleep and half-alert stage. Henry and Lori, the grandkids, were probably at their cutest, if that was at all possible, right after they woke up.

Sera made a sound that was remarkably like a snort, climbing up onto the kitchen stool, her arms folding on the breakfast bar. "I'm hungry," she announced.

Tami had already gone to work, leaving him with the chore of getting her breakfast. He opened up the fridge, wondering what to make her. "You want eggs?"

"Lergic."

What the hell was that…oh…she was allergic, well, that was good to know. He removed a carton of milk and set it on the counter. "You want some milk?"

"You tricked me."

Huh? He turned on his heel, frowning slightly. "I did no such thing."

Sera cocked her head, tapping her little fingers on the counter. "Yes you did. I didn't get a song. You tricked me."

He chuckled, removing a glass and pouring her a cup of milk, cold this time, pushing it towards her with his fingertip. "Ah…I didn't trick you. I just didn't sing to you. The warm milk worked first."

"Well no more." She hopped from her stool, going into the cupboard and coming out with a box of cereal, lifting it up for him. "This."

"This what?"

"I want this."

"What do you say after you say you want something?"

Sera stared at him for a moment and he swore she gritted her teeth. "Please."

"Alright then." He poured her cereal, getting a spoon for her. While he searched the strange organizational system that was Tim's kitchen, he spoke. "Your dad is going to come by this morning, but then he and your mom need to go away for a couple of days. So Aunt Tami and I will watch you."

"Whose Aunt Tami?" She blinked a few times and then it seemed to hit her. "Oh…Aunt Tami. Okay." She snapped her fingers. "Gotcha'."

Was this kid five or fifty? He figured she had to be mimicking someone, probably Tim, with most of what she was saying. Eric sat opposite her on the breakfast bar, his cup of coffee at his fingertips, watching her munch away at her cereal.

He frowned, pointing at the purple marshmallows she was leaving behind. "Why don't you eat purple?"

"It's my favorite color."

"So why don't you eat it?"

She shrugged. "Don't want to."

Once she finished eating, she pushed her bowl aside, propping her chin up on her hands, watching him. He squinted at her and she squinted back. "You want to go get dressed?"

"Nope. Daddy lets me stay in my pjs all day long."

Well he wasn't really surprised at that. Eric shrugged, sipping at his coffee. He set it back down with a light clink. "What do you want to do today? I have to go to football practice at three, you can come with me."

"Football?" She made a face. "I hate football."

How could the daughter of Tim Riggins and the granddaughter of Buddy Garrity hate football? Of course, he was used to Henry and Lori, who were obsessed with the sport, much to the chagrin of Julie. Matt could have cared less, so long as his kids were happy.

Eric closed his eyes for a moment, clearing his throat. "Why do you hate football?"

"It's stupid."

"That's not really an excuse to hate anything, you know."

"Yes it is."

"Actually, it's not. Give me a good reason why you hate football."

Sera made another face, climbing down from the chair. She sighed, standing in the center of the kitchen, with her hair sticking up, her hands at her sides. She shrugged again. "I don't know."

"See? You don't even know why you hate it. That's not a good reason. You'll like it, we'll go to football practice, you'll see."

She rolled her eyes.

A five-year old just rolled her eyes at him, he thought, sitting there in surprise. He shook his head again. "Wow."

"Wow what?"

"Nothing, come on, let's get you dressed." Man, he wished Tami was here for this. He followed her upstairs, taking note that Simba was in the doorway of Lyla and Tim's room and the hall. The dog barely ever moved and if he did, Eric had yet to see it.

He stepped into her bedroom, eyes wide at the disaster. Last night it wasn't this bad. Sera stepped through a crashed pile of Barbie dolls and accessories, jumping over a huge plush dog and disappearing beneath a tent.

"Sera?"

She jumped out, holding up a dress. "I want to wear this!"

"That's a costume dress, you can't wear that."

"Who says?"

He sighed, waving his hands a bit. "Fine, whatever." Maybe he should let her get dressed on her own. Although he knew if he let Julie or Gracie get dressed on their own at Sera's age, they'd come out wearing parkas and rainboots with princess tiaras on.

What the hell, live and let live. "I'll be outside, you get dressed." He closed the door behind him, walking over to Simba. He frowned a bit, Simba's eyes lifted to his, tail thudding. "You're a strange dog."

Simba grumbled, pushing up to his feet and stretching. He wandered away down the steps, hopping them two at a time. Eric followed him, cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen. He looked out the window, smiling at the view. Tim put the house in the exact perfect position.

The side door opened and he turned around, calling over his shoulder. "Hey, Tim! How is Buddy?"

"Stable." Tim dropped a couple of bags, pointing down to them, but nudging Simba's nose away. "Um, groceries, I stopped and had to get her more gluten free…crap, whatever."

Eric turned completely around, cringing a little. He'd been in those situations where you were at the hospital for longer than a couple of hours. You looked like shit and Tim was no different.

He'd tied his hair back from his face, his eyes sunken in a little, with dark circles. He picked the bags up, placing them on the counter, pushing them against the wall. "I need to change before I get on the road, is Sera awake?"

"Yeah, she's getting dressed."

Tim blinked a couple of times. "On her own?"

"Yeah." He frowned a little. "So?"

"Nothing. Did she con you into a song last night?"

"No, but you could have warned me she'd try. By the way, she…"

He grinned, laughing a little. "She threatened you, didn't she? Damn, I knew she was paying attention when Lyla did that the other day. Forgot to say last night, but watch what you say around her and how you say it, I swear she's like this little recording device…" He stopped immediately, turning his head and his face lighting up, calling to Sera. "Hey baby!"

Sera emerged from around the corner, clomping towards them wearing a pair of Lyla's high heels, a 33 jersey, pink leggings, a tiara, and tons of jewelry around her wrists and neck, a scarf tied around her neck like a cape. "Hi Daddy!" She held her arms up. "Pick me up!"

"Okay, I'll pick you up, but you're gonna' lose your shoes."

"Oh well."

Tim swung her up into his arms, grinning and pecking a kiss to her lips. "Love you. You having fun with Uncle Eric?"

"I call him Uncle Coach." She smiled, looking his way, her voice soft. "He doesn't mind."

Good Lord, Tim and Lyla had a little sociopath on their hands.

"I missed you last night, but I promise if I'm not back, I'll call tonight and sing you to sleep, alright?" Tim kissed her cheek, biting at her neck, sending Sera squealing and kicking her arms and legs out. "Ah! You taste so good! Like a giant cookie! Come on, let's get you into some actual clothes, not your dress up box."

"Can I play with Mommy's dress up box? I found it in her closet."

"Ah…absolutely not."

"Why not?"

"Because that's Mommy's grown-up dress up box and Daddy says so and when Daddy says, you must follow, let's go."

Eric didn't want to know what that was about, so he emptied the bags and put things in the pantry or in the fridge. He finally decided to take a look at the list of approved and unapproved foods, after seeing so many soy and gluten free products in the bags.

Poor kid, he thought, shaking his head a little at the list of foods Sera was allergic to. Eggs, wheat, peanuts, all nuts for that matter, strawberries, bananas…geez. Then there were bees, other insects…she wasn't allergic to pet dander, surprisingly, but she had asthma.

He turned a little when he heard footsteps in the hall. Sera emerged, wearing jeans and a Dillon t-shirt, her hair pulled back with pink clips, wearing tennis shoes and looking a little annoyed. "Where did all your jewelry go?" he asked, just to tease her a little.

She scowled. "Daddy put it back in the box."

"Yup, no jewelry." Tim picked her up, setting her on the counter, taking her hands into his. He smiled, kissing her fingers. "Sera, I have something I need to tell you, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay."

Eric left the room, to give them some privacy, going out onto the porch and waiting. He looked down at Simba, shaking his head again. "Lazy dog."

The back door opened a second later, Sera walking out, holding onto Tim's hand. "Sera promises she is going to be good, right?" Tim asked her, lifting his eyebrow.

Sera nodded. "I promise." She smiled, her eyes sparkling. "Uncle Coach is going to watch me, right Daddy?"

"Yeah, I'll be back as soon as I can, okay? Grandpa has his doctor's visit and then Mommy and I will come back after that, okay? Then maybe we'll bring you to Austin, that alright?"

"What about school?"

"Well you can skip school."

"That's not good. That's bad."

He rolled his eyes. "I skipped school and I turned out fine." Tim straightened up, letting go of her hand, which prompted Sera to take off running into the backyard, Simba woofing and leaping off the porch to join her. "Call if she gets crazy, Coach, I'm serious. Just…she'll be okay if you just…" He sighed, smiling a little. "She tests her boundaries, Lyla says its normal."

"I raised two daughters, Tim. We'll be fine."

"Yeah, well…" He shrugged, looking over at Sera, who was wrestling with the dog. "She'll talk you into just about everything, so…don't let her. Alright, I'm out of here, on to Austin. Thanks again."

"No problem, give Lyla our love and Buddy our well wishes."

"Will do."

Eric waited a moment, turning to look back out at the yard, where Sera was doing cartwheels. That probably wasn't going to end well. He sighed, glancing at his watch. It was only nine.

This was going to be a long day.


	3. Uncle Coach's Game

**A/N**: Hopefully people are still interested in this fic. Enjoy :)

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After cleaning up the kitchen and periodically checking on Sera in the backyard, entertaining herself by dancing around and playing with the dog, Eric went outside to join her. He found her on the swingset, flying very high. Maybe too high.

"Hey," he called to her. "What do you want to do today?"

"I want to play."

"What do you want to play?"

"Hide and seek."

That didn't seem so bad. He shrugged. "Okay. Do you want to count or do you want to hide first?"

She smiled up at him, swinging slowly on her swingset, her feet dragging lightly in the dirt to bring her to a stop. "How about I hide first? Count to 100 Uncle Coach."

"100? How about 20?"

Sera mulled it over for a moment, before nodding. "Acceptable."

Again, another mimic, he thought, chuckling. It was actually kind of cute. "Alright. I'll count. I'll stand here. Why don't we just hide outside?"

"Okay."

"Alright, count of 20, let's go." He closed his eyes, leaning against the slide, counting loudly to 20. After he hit 20, he opened his eyes, looking around. Hide and seek was an art. One which he was quite positive Seraphina Riggins had mastered.

He started with obvious places. The porch, the tree, the swingset, and the playhouse. He frowned, his hands on his hips. "Sera!" he called, Simba walking beside him, checking the garage. He sighed in envy at the red shiny Camaro in the garage.

After checking both the Camaro and the fancy SUV he knew Lyla drove, he left the garage. That left the barn, if she was in fact listening to him by only hiding outside. He went inside, calling out. "Sera!"

There was a slight rustling up in the loft. He chuckled, walking over to the ladder, climbing up and into the loft. "Alright kid, you can come…" He stopped, frowning a second and looking at the thick layer of dust on everything in the loft, mostly old woodworking equipment. There was no way a kid with asthma would be in the loft without wheezing, sneezing, or falling into a full-blown attack.

He slid down the ladder, turning slowly. "Sera?"

This was no longer fun anymore. He put his hands on his hips, calling out, his voice firm. "Sera Riggins! This isn't funny anymore, you need to come out, right now!"

"You lose!"

He turned, seeing her emerge from a stall, sneezing a few times. Her voice was thick. "I win!" she yelled.

"Come on with you, no more hide and seek."

"Not my fault you lost."

"Well you were hidden too well. Let's go back to the house."

"But Mommy says I need fresh air." She began to wheeze a few times, pushing on her chest, whining. She coughed a few times, her breath raspy. "I'm fine," she immediately said.

No, you're not, you're on the verge of an asthma attack, he thought, reaching down to pick her up. Sera pushed at his shoulders. "No, no, no!"

He lifted her up, hurrying her into the house and setting her on the counter, where her wheezing grew worse. "Come on," he said, soothing her with a back rub while he lifted her inhaler to her lips. He'd been a coach long enough to know what to do with one of the silly contraptions.

She cried, pushing it away. "Yucky!"

"Sorry Sera, but if you want to breathe, you need to inhale." He tutted a little, which he noticed when Julie and Gracie were small would somehow get them to do what he wanted. "There, there, good girl, breathe in…" He hit down on the inhaler, breathing out for a second and then breathed in again, watching her do it and hit the inhaler once more.

That should do it, he thought, setting it on the counter and leaning his hands against the edges, studying her expression. She coughed a few times, taking several deep breaths, obviously knowing what to do, even for being five.

He shook his head, hoping he didn't alarm her, but she needed to hear a firm voice. "You shouldn't have been hiding in the barn. It's very dusty in there."

"I know." She wiped her nose, her face dirty. She smiled a little. "Thank you Uncle Coach, can we go back to playing now?"

"Not hide and seek."

"Shoot." She sighed, holding her arms out. He took them, lifting her from the counter and putting her back on her feet. She held his hand, wiping her nose again with her other. "Can we play a board game?"

"I have a good game we could play. Do you have a chalkboard?"

"Yup." She led him into her playroom, where there was a dry-erase board set up on an easel. "There."

Perfect. He gestured to the chair. "Why don't you take a seat? I'm going to play a game with you. We'll call it planning football plays for next week's game against Arnett Mead."

"Huh?"

"Welcome to football Sera, your Daddy and Grandpa are going to be proud."

A few moments later, she was set in one of her chairs, holding a stuffed bear, her head covered with a football helmet, and her feet swinging back and forth. She pointed to the offensive symbol he'd just moved to behind a defensive one. "Why?"

"Because then he can do a sweep and score a touchdown."

"But why?"

"Because." He studied the board and then his iPad, which had the game film on it. He set it in front of Sera. "What do you think I should do?"

Sera sighed, dramatic. "I don't know." She cocked her head. "Do you have kids Uncle Coach?"

"I do," he answered, standing back up and scribbling out the play, drawing up a newer on, consulting his game film while he spoke, idly. "I have two daughters."

"What's their names?"

"Julie and Gracie Belle."

"Julie…like a jewel?"

"Yup, just like that."

"Where is she?"

"Chicago."

Sera got off her chair, walking over and pointing to her map. "Where?"

"Right there." He pointed to where Chicago was, watching her face as she studied the map. He smiled a little, pointing at where Dillon was. "That's where we are and there's Austin, that's where your Mommy and Daddy are today."

She nodded, pointing back at it again. "Where's Aunt Tyra?"

"Where is Aunt Tyra?"

"Washington, D.C."

"Right there," he said, pointing.

"Where's Abu Dhabi?"

Abu what? He frowned down at her. "Huh?"

"Abu Dhabi." She shrugged, equally confused. She sighed again, rolling her eyes, mimicking again. "Daddy says that when I'm bad he's going to send me to Abu Dhabi. Mom says that's not nice, but she'll send me to…" She screwed up her face, remembering. She pursed her lips, her arms crossing. "Mommy says she'll send me to France. Where are they?"

He pointed each one out, once he spotted Abu Dhabi out of the corner of his eye. "So don't be bad," he advised.

"I'm a perfect angel."

Oh I bet you are, he thought sarcastically, but he couldn't help but chuckle. This kid was a hoot. He pointed back to the map. "What are these pins in here for?"

"Those are where Mommy visited." Sera climbed atop her chair, pointing to a couple. Eric wanted to get her memory tested. He'd never met a five year old who had such total recall like Sera. "She said her favorite is here. Ireland."

"I hear it's nice."

"This is also her favorite." Sera points to Israel, smiling a little. "Mommy said she knew what to do and where to go after she went there."

Knowing Lyla had a religious side, he was sure she did. He noted that a lot of the pins were in Europe, but Lyla had made it to a couple other countries. "Do you know why she went to some of these places?" he asked.

"Mommy helps people. She's a doctor." Sera hopped off her chair, puttering over to her various toy chests, removing a stethoscope and a white lab coat that was far too large on her, with 'Duke University Medicine' embroidered on the pocket. "I want to be a doctor. Daddy says I can do whatever I want, but I can't break the law."

"He is accurate."

"Uncle Coach I want go back outside, this is boring," she groaned, falling forward onto her stomach, her arms stretched in front of her. She lifted her head quickly, propping her head up, studying the board for a second. "The O needs to move to the left."

"Huh?" He stepped back from the board to her distance, studying it. He pointed. "The one on the right or left?"

"Left."

How in the hell could a five-year old see that? He moved the arrow down and out, finally seeing it. He consulted the game tape. Damn. Kid was good. He glanced down at her. "You should be a coach."

"Thanks but no thanks."

"Your parents ever get you tested?"

"I'm not an idiot."

"Whoa, whoa, I never said you were."

Sera jumped up to her feet, going to sit on top of the table, shrugging a shoulder. "Daddy's an idiot."

"Your father is not an idiot, he's actually very smart, but he doesn't apply himself."

She giggled, her hands covering her face. "That's what Mommy says."

"Mommy is smart, remember that. Wow, Sera, you solved my problem." He hurriedly rewrote the play into the iPad, saving it and setting it aside, turning to look down at her. He reached his fist out. "Pound it."

Sera pushed her fist against his, rolling her eyes. "You're silly Uncle Coach."

"I like to think I have a funny side. People just don't see it." What the hell was he doing, talking to a kid like an adult. A confidant. He was pretty sure that Sera was a full-blown adult trapped in a little kid's body. This babysitting thing was going to be pretty fun, just the two of them.

He turned around and she was gone.

"Sera?"


	4. Happy Hunting

**A/N: ** Thanks so much for the reviews! Enjoy! :)

* * *

"Look Uncle Coach!"

"I'm trying to look." And stop this water from overflowing. He looked over his shoulder, seeing Sera completely covered in jewelry. Man that kid liked shiny objects. "You look beautiful, but how did you stop this up?" Or better yet…why?

He found her a few moments after she disappeared from the playroom, in the bathroom with water filling up the tub, but the handles were too loose to shut it off and it kept filling up. He'd finally managed to stop the water, but couldn't get the damn plug out of the drain. Water was sloshing everywhere.

Sera came over, peering into the bathtub, her fingers going over the side. "I just wanted to give Simba a bath, he stinks."

Simba grumbled from between them, but he did stink.

Eric stood up, taking off his shoes and socks, stepping into the tub and peering down at the plug. "Honey get me a plunger."

"What's that?"

"Open up the cabinet, see if there's one in there."

Sera opened it up. "Oh, my sword." She removed the plunger, pushing it towards him. "En garde!"

"Maybe later, let's actually use it for its purpose." He shoved the plunger into the tub, lifting up and down a few times, which thankfully worked, releasing the stopper. He stood up, smiling a little. "Solved that problem. Nothing a man can't do."

"Sure."

He rolled his eyes, climbing out of the bathtub as Simba hopped in, licking up the rest of the water. "Now he gets in." At least he should be a little thankful the dog didn't get sopping wet. That smell would probably never go away.

Sera leaned back over the tub. "Oops," she said when one of her rings fell off.

Eric got one look at a Texas High School State Championship ring swirling down towards the drain at the exact moment Simba lapped up the last bit of water.

Oh crap.

Literally.

Simba hacked a few times, but nothing came out. He licked his chops, lifting his face to both of them. Sera's eyes widened. "Um…oops?" she whispered, looking up. "Was that bad?"

He closed his eyes. Why couldn't I just have had a kid who was fine on their own? Who didn't need constant supervision? I just want to work on plays and sit in the recliner. He sighed. "Yes Sera. It was bad."

"Can we get it back?"

"Yes, we can. In a couple of hours."

"How are we going to get it? It's Daddy's football ring. I like the blue on it."

Eric glanced down at Simba, who was just panting, looking around like nothing was amiss. He closed his eyes and took a few shallow breaths.

"We're going to have to go hunting, Sera. You're also going to help me."

"Okay."

Something told him when they had to go hunting; she was going to be uninterested.

Sera studied Simba for a minute. "Where's the ring go?"

"Where most things go when you eat."

She screwed up her face, unable to process it. She blinked a few times, shaking her head and exited the bathroom. "Uncle Coach I think I'm bored."

"You think you're bored?" I'm not. In fact, I wouldn't mind if I was bored.

Sera wandered into the master bedroom, rummaging around in one of the two nightstands. "Sera," he warned, pointing to outside. "This is not a playroom, this is your mom and dad's room, let's go downstairs."

"I'm getting something."

"You don't need anything in here, come on," he said, his voice firmer.

Sera emerged, holding an electronic game, walking towards him, holding it up, smiling. "I found it!"

He plucked the game from her fingertips, her eyebrows slamming together. "Something tells me," he drawled, holding it above her reach. "That your mom or dad…"

"Mom."

"Put that in a hidden place for a good reason."

Sera rolled her eyes, walking towards the bed and climbing atop it. "She doesn't like me playing on TV games."

Video games, well Lyla was right on there, he didn't like kids playing video games all day too. They should be outside, getting fresh air or playing sports. He frowned a bit at Sera, who suddenly looked a bit sad, sitting on the big bed, looking around at everything. She actually seemed like kind of a lonely kid. "You alright?" he asked, stepping a bit towards her.

"I guess." She fell backwards against the pillows, her arms and legs akimbo. "What's your other kid's name?"

"Gracie."

"Where's she?"

"She's in school. She's a senior."

"Cool." Sera blinked a few times, her voice quiet. "Does she have friends?"

Eric frowned a little. That was pretty…odd. He sat down beside her. "Yeah, she's got friends." He saw Sera's little sigh. So this was where a lot of it all came from. He asked the question, even though he already knew the answer. "Do you have any friends?"

Sera shook her head a little, reaching to pick at nail polish on her toenail. "Not really," she whispered. She bit her bottom lip. "I get sick a lot. They make fun of me."

"Who makes fun of you?" He felt oddly protective over the little girl all of a sudden, his brow wrinkling. He reached to place his arm around her shoulders. "Kids at school?"

"Yeah…they say I can't breathe and that I'm…" She looked up at him, frowning a bit. "They call me Bubble Girl. Say I have to live in a bubble because I'm sick all the time."

If he remembered right, Lyla had a lot of problems with her, which also probably accounted for why she was an only child. Eric didn't remember her being sick a lot, but…all those allergies and everything…kids could be cruel. It never seemed to get better either, at least if you were in those situations. He frowned again. "Your mommy and daddy know about this?"

"Daddy says to kick them in the shins. Mommy says I have to use my words."

That actually sounded like accurate advice from the two very different people who were her parents. He nodded, chuckling a little. "Well…in a way I agree with them both. You should always use your words first. Or ignore them." He wished Tami was here for this type of conversation. She was much better at it than he was. "Use your words, but if they don't listen then…" He sighed. Kicking them in the shins probably wasn't a good solution at all. He nodded and glanced back down at her. "Then you call me. I'll deal with those kids."

Sera flashed a quick smile. "Really Uncle Coach?"

"Oh yeah. If anyone did that with my grandkids, I'd say the same thing."

"You're a grandpa?" She climbed off the bed, leaving the room, going back towards the stairs, taking them one at a time, very carefully. "I have a grandpa too. His name is Buddy."

"You call him Buddy?"

"No, I call him Grandpa."

"Ah, I see."

She looked up again. "I have another grandpa, but Daddy says he's not a nice man and that the only grandpa that matters is Grandpa Buddy. I love him a lot. Daddy said he's sick and they have to go to the hospital with him."

"I do know." He followed her into the kitchen, watching her go rummage around in the pantry again. What a funny little kid she was. "So…" he sighed, leaning against the counter. They still had a lot of time to kill before he went to the school. As much as he wanted to sit her down in front of the TV, he also knew that wouldn't keep her still. "What else do you want to do?"

Sera emerged again, munching a cookie. She lifted her eyes, smiling wide. "I want to dress up!"

He cleared his throat. "Um, you want to work on football plays again?"

"No sir," she drawled, taking another bite of cookie. She wiggled her eyebrows. "I'm gonna' dress you up!"

Oh great.


	5. Eric's Makeover

**A/N:** I'm going to just push out the rest of the chapters, since I don't know how many people are really reading this. Hope to have a new fic after this one, I'm super nervous about posting fic that I am working on as it's a bit of a tearjerker. Anyway, enjoy this (happy) chapter! And oh yeah, Simba ate the ring. :) Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!

* * *

"Uncle Coach, you need some makeup."

"I don't think I need makeup." He eyed Simba, who was rolling around on the porch, but showing no signs of a ring making its way through his system. Maybe it did go down the drain.

Something told him Tim would not care one way or the other if it did or not.

Sera looked up from her makeup kit, her eyes rimmed in sparkling purple and her lips and cheeks clashing shades of red, to go with her tiara and her giant pink gown. She waved her hands, holding them out. "Do you like my nail polish?"

This was a foreign experience to him. Julie was never into dress up. She was more…tea parties with Mr. Bear and Mrs. Rabbit, until she learned to read, and then it was reading and coloring and drawing. Gracie was all sports all the time. It was like he got the son he never had in Gracie. Football, basketball, and now she was a star cross country and track runner.

"I do like your nail polish, it's the prettiest nail polish ever."

"Stop blowing smoke up my skirt."

His eyes widened and he dropped the plays he was writing, staring at her. He snapped. "Where on earth did you hear that?"

It didn't faze her that she said something completely inappropriate. "Daddy says it when he doesn't get what he wants." She moved on, while he just shook his head, reaching into her makeup case and taking out a lipstick and a compact, walking over to him. "I want to put this on you. Please."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Just a little and no pictures and you cannot speak of this to anyone else."

"It's fun Uncle Coach. I want to be actress when I grow up."

And you will be a very good one, he thought, setting his plays aside and sitting down on the floor while Sera giggled, beginning to drape him in pearls, a boa, and putting makeup on him.

After a few minutes, she dropped the last makeup stick in the box. "Bee-yoo-ti-ful!" she exclaimed.

"Alright, let's see it." Eric took the mirror from her, staring at his reflection. Good Lord. He was glad Julie and Gracie never entertained dress-up the way Sera did. "Wow. That's a…a lot of rouge."

"You need glasses. Hang on." Sera disappeared into another room, which was Tim's office, and emerged with a pair of glasses. "Here you go." She stuck them on his face, smiling. "Now it's perfect!"

Damn, Tim had terrible eyesight, he thought, blinking a few times and removing the glasses, handing them back to her. "I think I'll pass on the glasses."

"Okay…oops."

What was once one pair of glasses now consisted of one lens and an earpiece in one of Sera's hands and one lens and an earpiece in the other.

"It's alright, your dad doesn't need to read." He shrugged. "It's a bit weird that he does anyway."

"Yeah, it's okay." She held one up to her eye, popping up and down. "Look! I have one eye! I'm a pirate! Arrrgh!"

Eric stood up, shedding the pearls and boa and fake earrings and tiara, going towards the bathroom beneath the staircase to clean his face up. He turned a corner, only to freeze when the front door opened.

"Hey, babe, I came home for lunch, brought you and Sera…oh my God!" Tami covered her mouth, laughing. She bit her lip, trying to force her smile away. She snorted a little. "What…what happened to your face?"

"A little girl with dreams to have an Oscar."

"Uncle Coach! I got you some shoes!" Sera skidded into the hallway, stopping right in front of Tami. She was holding a pair of clown shoes. She shoved them under her arm and thrust her hand forward. "Seraphina Taylor Garrity Riggins. Pleased to meet you."

It had been the same amount of time since Tami had really interacted with her, but the handshake and introduction went much more seamlessly than with him. "I am Tami Taylor, it's nice to meet you Seraphina."

"It means fiery one."

Yeah, that fit. Sera was a pistol.

Tami handed her a bag. "Here you go, I brought you some lunch."

"I'm lergic to lots."

"And I made sure to get you vegan mac and cheese, can you have milk?"

"Yup." Sera ran off to the kitchen, yelling for Simba to come get lunch.

Tami laughed, walking over to kiss him lightly, rubbing her thumb over his lips. "You have got to go wash that off. I don't remember her being this…"

"I think precocious is the word you're looking for. By the way, Tim warned me about her. She mimics everything. Sometimes hours later. Kid's recall is insane."

The educator in Tami lit up a bit, murmuring to herself. "Maybe I should get her tested."

"I'm not an idiot." Sera walked up beside them both, munching on a carrot stick. She pointed to the kitchen. "Simba pooped. Can we get Daddy's ring?"

Tami just blinked.

"Ah…you go get the ring."

"Ew!" she giggled, covering her face with her hands, peeking through her fingers. She giggled again, dropping her hands. "That's gross. Can we get Daddy a new ring?"

"Probably not."

"Oh." Sera departed the corridor, humming to herself.

Tami crossed her arms slowly over her chest, amused. "It seems you two have been having fun while I've been working."

"Oh yeah, it's been a picnic. Can I go wash my face now?" He dropped a kiss to her cheek, patting her arm. "I'll explain in detail later. Have you heard from Tim or Lyla?"

"Tim left a message at work, Buddy's surgery went okay, but they had to wheel him back in after he threw a blood clot. He said he'll try to be back tonight."

Good Lord. Poor Buddy. He left her to get lunch prepared, washing his face as hard as he could to remove all the rouge. Some was still left behind, hopefully that would fade. He had practice, couldn't be wearing makeup.

After he washed up, he went into the kitchen, where Simba was seated at the base of Sera's chair, hoping for scraps. Damnit! He still had to go through the poop. God, he can't believe he just thought that.

"Sit down babe, have lunch with us," Tami said, opening up a bag and removing a cheeseburger and fries. "Here, eat up."

Sera looked over at the fries. She lifted her eyes. "Can I have one?"

"Sorry sweetheart, it's not gluten free, your mom wrote up on the board that you can't have anything that's not gluten free." Tami made a sad face. "But your mac and cheese is good, huh?"

"It'll do in a pinch," Sera quoted. She looked over at Simba. "Not for puppies!"

"Yes, not for puppies. Nor are rings," Eric said to the dog, who just grumbled. He glanced at Tami again. "You want to go fishing in dog poop?"

"Um, I want to eat without vomiting, thank you sir."

"We'll do it later."

"There is no we in that equation Eric Taylor."

Sera scooped up some mac and cheese. "When are we going to play football?"

"In about an hour, we'll go to the football field."

"Can I wear my helmet?"

"What helmet?"

Sera dropped down to the floor, running into Tim's office. There was a loud crash, a soft 'ow!' and then she was hurrying back, hobbling a little. She set a football helmet in his lap. "This one!"

Eric held the helmet gingerly, staring at the nondescript white helmet with the NFL seal on either side, various signatures scrawled across it. Elway. Montana. Theisman. It was a who's who of pro football player legends. He closed his eyes, taking a few breaths, just for being in the vicinity of such an object.

He cleared his throat. "Sera, where did you find this?"

"In Daddy's case."

"Okay, let's go back to the case." He stood up, following her into the office, Tami right behind him. He blinked at a bookcase, with a glass front, now pushed up. Books were scattered on the floor, a chair tipped over, obviously from where she stood to get the helmet in the first place.

He set the helmet back in the case, closing it, after seeing other football memorabilia. Tim was an idiot to keep it in a place his daughter could get it. He'd have to remind him of that.

"Don't touch that, it's pretty important."

"Okay." Sera left him in the office, Tami standing near the door as she flounced out.

"That girl is a pistol!"

"I know. I've had to deal with her all day."

"Can you please explain to me why Simba's…bathroom activities are of importance? Before I go back to work?"

He sighed, his arms going around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head. "The next time Julie wants us to babysit the twins, we're jumping on it. They're cakewalks to this girl."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Not bad, but I haven't been able to sit down all day in a chair and just relax."

Tami chuckled, shrugging and walking away. "Wish I had sympathy for you babe, but I don't."

"That's not very fair."

She slipped out from under his arms, returning to the kitchen and Sera. Eric glanced back into the study, shaking his head at the football helmet. He squinted, walking towards it. Uh oh.

He wondered if Tim knew that it was covered in glitter. As well as having a new signature, this one in glitter pen. Seraphina Riggins.

Thankfully Tim didn't have much of a temper.

He rose up on his toes, turning the helmet around so that side was hidden. There.

No harm, no foul.

Out of the corner of his eye he spied a picture above the desk. He walked over, his hands on his hips, studying it. Sera was hugging a goal post, smiling like a little beauty queen, with Smash Williams standing behind her holding his fingers behind her head like bunny ears. The scoreboard behind the both of them still had the score up for the Super Bowl Smash had just won. Lucky kid.

He glanced at another, laughing. Someone had actually, probably Lyla, gotten a photo of Tim covered in makeup and jewelry, just like he'd been a minute later, with Sera leaning forward to apply more. Nice.

Kid was a little firecracker.

"Uncle Coach!"

He turned, smiling down at her. "What's up?"

She tapped her foot on the ground, pointing to an imaginary watch on her wrist. "You are late, we have to clean up and then we can play some more and then when are we going to go to football?"

"I told you, maybe in about an hour and a half. When the little hand is on the two and the bit hand is on the twelve."

Sera squinted. "Time is relative."

"Let me guess," he sighed, following her out of the study. "Your Daddy said that."

"I said it."

"After someone else."

She just smiled, giggling, crawling into the recliner and stretching back, Tami watching her with a big smile. "You'll never know."

He gestured to her, looking over at Tami, who was gathering her purse and jacket. "See what I've been dealing with all morning?"

"Again, Eric, sweetheart, I wish I had sympathy."

He let her kiss his cheek, but he didn't return it. Oh who was he kidding. He ran after her to the front door, giving her a quick kiss. "See you tonight."

"Have fun!"

Oh he was sure they would.

The question was, how dangerous would this fun be?


	6. Junior Deputy Assistant Coach Riggins

**A/N:** There's three more chapters of this, just FYI. Thank you so much for the reviews! I am happy people are enjoying this. Thanks!

* * *

Eric was not going to go hunting in dog poop yet, so he tried to clean up after lunch while Sera banged about in her playroom, The Lion King blaring in the background. He peeked around the corner to make sure she was doing alright, finding her sitting at her table, coloring.

Well that was really sweet, actually.

He smiled, leaving her to color, returning to the kitchen table and his plays. He flicked on the TV, listening to the local newscasters predict the outcome of the game next week.

"Uncle Coach."

"Yeah?" he asked, turning his head, smiling at Sera. He returned to the plays, pausing. His head lifted up, staring straight ahead, before rotating sideways, staring at her.

When he left her, she had more hair.

Be calm, he told himself. It was just hair.

"What did you do?" he asked, standing up, going to take the scissors from her hand. There was a large chunk of hair missing from the right side of her head. It didn't look like something that couldn't easily be fixed, but…damn.

Sera shrugged. "Mommy got her hair cut. I want it to match."

"Well we don't do it ourselves." He sighed, staring down at her, shaking his head, trying not to be frustrated. He chuckled, reaching for the phone, calling Tami.

"Tami Taylor."

"It's Eric Taylor. I got a question for you."

"Alright."

"Um, hypothetically, if Sera cut off some of her own hair…where should I take her to get the sides to match?"

Tami was silent for a moment. She cleared her throat. "Hypothetically? Hypothetically, sweetheart, if a five-year old cuts off some of her own hair, which would not be the first time a kid has done that, by the way, your daughter Gracie cut her hair about four times before she was eight, you would take her to the children's haircut place near the elementary school, in the strip mall with the only Starbucks in Dillon. Remember? Buddy calls it the Yuppie Strip because it also has that cupcake place."

Ah yes, the place that only sold cupcakes. He would prefer whole cakes to ones the size of cups and quite frankly didn't understand people who were obsessed with just cupcakes. "Okay."

"This is of course, hypothetical."

"Yes, of course." He said goodbye, hanging up and gathering his things, turning her towards the stairs. "Come on kiddo, let's get you changed into something for the football game, and we'll get your hair fixed before then."

"But I like it this way."

"It's very Flock of Seagulls."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind."

They left the house after he got her cleaned up and dressed in something more presentable than a princess gown. He gathered his things as well as a backpack. Tim had texted him with capital letters "NEVER LET HER GET BORED."

Kid was like a Gremlin or something. Don't get the Gremlins wet, don't feed the Gremlins after midnight, geez.

"What car are we taking?" Sera wondered, going outside after he set Simba up with the electric collar, like Tami told him to do, per Tim's instructions, so the dog could come and go without getting away.

He went into the garage, studying the two cars available to him. The SUV, which at first glance had more bells and whistles in it than a spaceship. Plus it was a foreign brand and he didn't care to drive those. He smiled at the Camaro. "I think we can fit a booster seat in there, don't you think?"

"I think Daddy's gonna' kill you. No one touches it. Not after Uncle Billy crashed it in a tree."

"I taught your Daddy how to play football, he owes me." He ran back to the house, grabbing the keys from the hook next to the back door, tossing them in the air and went back to the garage, where Sera was just looking at him, shaking her head slightly. "What?"

Sera shrugged, sighing. "I'm just saying!"

"It'll be fine. You'll like it. We'll put the top down."

"Well…I guess."

A few minutes later, Sera was squealing at the top of her lungs as they drove away from the house, the top down on the Camaro, half of her hair flying in the wind.

* * *

"Nice, nice, again!" he yelled from the sidelines, finally feeling like he was doing something that day. He went over to stand at the edge, next to Luke Cafferty, who was helping out with the offense. "How's it going today son?"

"Not bad sir." Luke frowned a little. "Coach, don't take this the wrong way, but…are you wearing makeup?"

He turned his head, staring at him through his dark sunglasses. He took a breath and then just shook his head. "What kind of a question is that to ask a man? Shouldn't you be running my offensive drills? Go on, I'm not paying you to stand around asking me stupid questions. Get on now."

"Coach you're not even paying me!" Luke yelled, laughing and running off towards the offense.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sera playing around a Lev Sled, watching the activity. The bag of her toys and books sat untouched on the bleachers. He should have realized.

He sighed, glancing at one of his other assistant coaches. "Gather everyone around."

While the team grouped together to take a knee, he went over to the Lev Sled. "You having fun?" he asked.

"Nope," Sera replied. She pushed her pink sunglasses up on her head, pushing her dark curls away from her face. "The sun can give you cancer, Mommy says."

"Alright. You want a hat?"

"No." She dropped her sunglasses back to her nose, looking back up at him. "Can I play with the ball?"

"No, I have another assignment for you."

* * *

"Wheeeeeee!"

Eric stood off to the side, laughing as his defensive backs pushed the sled, Sera hanging on tightly. He glanced at Luke, who was smiling. "You want to get one of your kids out here for this?"

"They're a bit too small for this. Besides, Tim's told me under no terms is my son supposed to be near his daughter. He's kind of put the word out to every father in Dillon who has a boy remotely near Sera's age. Or not. Mine is only two!"

Damn, he should have done that with Julie and Gracie. Well, maybe he still could, Gracie was 17. He had a little less than a year to try it.

Sera ran over, her cheeks flushed pink, her hair sticking up everywhere. She flung her arms around his knees. "Thank you Uncle Coach! That was fun, can I go again?"

"I'll do you one better, you want to try running the drills for me? Luke, give me your clipboard." He took the whistle from around his neck, dropping it over hers and passing her the clipboard. He told her what they had to do, word for word, knowing that she'd remember it.

"What am I then?"

"You're..." He shrugged. "You're my junior deputy assistant coach."

She nodded, saluting. "I won't let you down Uncle Coach!"

Luke laughed. "She's cute. Total only child syndrome though, speaking like one myself."

"Hey, speaking about you, why don't you get out there and coach? Go!" He slapped Luke on the shoulder, pushing him towards the field, shaking his head, but chuckling.

He retreated back towards the side, consulting his playbook. He heard the whistle blow for a water break, reaching to push his fingers up beneath his hat, scratching at his head, trying to figure how he could get the defense to break Arnett Mead's offensive line.

"Hey! Oh my God!"

"Dude, someone call 911 or something!"

"Coach! Get over here, quick!"

He heard people yelling and shouting, his head lifting up. "What's going on?" he demanded, pushing through them, eyes wide at the sight of Sera choking, her face turning several shades of pink.

She heaved for breath, lunging towards him. He swept her immediately into his arms, spying the granola bar on the ground. "What's that got in it?" he yelled, carrying her towards the bleachers.

"Um…" One of the players picked it up. "Chocolate…granola…peanut butter…"

Peanuts.

He rummaged in her bag, searching. Good God, where was it...ah, finally! He emerged with her EpiPen. "Hold on sweetheart," he assured her, shoving the EpiPen into her thigh.

After a few seconds, she gasped again, tears streaming down her face, sobbing into him. "Uncle Coach," she cried, over and over again, coughing and still wheezing, her face bright red. He held her tight, rubbing at her back, listening for the sound of the ambulance.

"It's okay," he murmured, holding and rocking her back and forth.

She sniffed a few times, her breath still wheezy, but calming down a bit. Although she kept crying.

He sighed, hugging her tight.

"It's okay," he said again, his heart still pounding, stroking her hair and whispering to her. "You're safe."


	7. Nurse Eric

A couple of hours later, Eric remembered just exactly why he couldn't stand hospitals. They smelled bad and took forever.

He looked up when the ER doors opened, jumping to his feet when Tami rushed through the ER doors, running straight for him. "She's okay," he said, holding out his hands to bring her to a stop, but she pushed against them, momentum still going. He closed his eyes, sighing in relief that backup was there. "She's okay, they're just making sure that her…antibody levels are normal or something, I don't know, I guess it's procedure after a peanut allergy attack."

Tami pushed her hair from her eyes, sighing. "Good Lord Eric, we're breaking Tim and Lyla's daughter."

"We? I think I am." He knew it wasn't his fault. When the doctor asked why she took the granola bar, Sera just said she was hungry and didn't think to ask. She was five years old. While she knew she couldn't eat certain things…she didn't think.

"Why aren't you in there with her?"

"They kicked me out."

"Excuse me?"

"Said I wasn't her parent, so they kicked me out."

"Do Tim and Lyla know that?"

"They were calling them, but I already called and left messages for Tim."

"We'll see about that." Tami marched to the administration desk, had a few words with the nurses on duty, and then turned, waving him forward.

God, he loved that woman.

They were led back from the waiting area into a children's area, where each little private room was decorated in primary colors and various childlike murals. Eric entered the room where Sera was sitting in her bed, wearing a gown with teddy bears on it, holding a new stuffed animal the hospital gave her.

She smiled, reaching her arms out. "Uncle Coach! Look, they gave me this." She wiped at her eyes, which were red-rimmed. Her voice softened, turning towards Aunt Tami. "I want my Mommy and Daddy."

"I know you do sweetheart," Tami whispered, kissing the top of her head and sitting beside her. "But you have us right now, okay? Uncle Coach is going to try to call them again, okay?" She shot him a look and he nodded, ignoring one of the nurses saying that he couldn't use his cell phone in the room.

He called twice, Tim finally answering. "Yeah?" he whispered, sounding tired. "Coach?"

"Um…yeah. Look, I don't want you guys to panic, but…" He took a deep breath. Might as well get it out now. "Sera ate a granola bar at football practice."

"Oh God, what did it have in it?"

"Peanuts."

Tim groaned and it sounded like he just hit his head against a wall. "She okay?" he asked, concern evident. "I mean…you got her pen and everything? Coach please, is she okay?"

"She's fine," he reassured the other man. Eric let him know about the observational period and how they would let her go in another couple of hours, but that he or Lyla had to call.

"Alright, we'll do that. She's sleeping right now."

Eric leaned against the wall, frowning. "How is Buddy?"

"Stable. Again. They did something in Dillon and then they had to do the bypass in Austin and then they fixed the clot, but he's in ICU. He'll be there for another few days." Tim sighed. "We'll try to come home tonight. Might not get there until early morning."

"Take your time, Sera's fine."

"Okay. Can we talk to her?"

After Tim told Lyla about Sera, which Eric was sure was an event in itself, given that the poor woman was already spent with the whole situation about her father, he went into the room and set his phone on the little tray in front of Sera.

"What's that?" she asked, looking down at the phone.

"See for yourself." He hit speaker, leaning on the tray, smiling at Sera. "Go ahead Tim."

Sera's eyes widened and she picked up the phone in her small hands, holding it. "Daddy?" she asked, her voice trembling a little.

There was some rummaging and then Lyla's breathless voice filled the room. "Seraphina? Are you okay sweetheart?"

"Mommy!"

Tami laughed, her arm going around his shoulders, smiling. She rose on her toes, whispering to him a few moments later, as Sera told Tim and Lyla about what happened and how much fun she was having. "You know that you're forever linked to her, right? She thinks you saved her life, she was telling me about it a moment ago."

Eric frowned. "I didn't save her life."

"Well you kind of did, actually. She's calling you her Knight."

"I'm a knight?" he asked, grinning. He cocked his head at her. "Well you know I do like to think I'm chivalrous."

Tami grinned. "Well you know I think you are. Besides, if you're a knight, that makes me a princess. Or a queen. Either way, I end up good."

"You do," he laughed. He looked over at Sera, who was still holding the phone.

"Alright baby, we have to go," Lyla said on the other end. She let out a laugh, but it sounded more like a cry. "We're going to get right on the road and come back, alright? We'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Okay," Sera whispered.

Tim came on the line. "How much do we love you Sera?"

"To the stars."

"Got that right."

Sera giggled. "I love you to the stars and back Daddy."

"Hey, what about me?" Lyla laughed.

"And you too Mommy."

Eric smiled, taking the phone from her. He finished up with Tim and Lyla, knowing they'd call the doctors and get the whole thing taken care of. As he waited, sitting in one of the hard plastic chairs with Tami, he thought a bit about his own children.

Julie was gone, had kids of her own. Kids he missed desperately, even if he did think she was too young to be having them, but he couldn't change that. They were about a year older than Sera. He liked being a grandfather, it meant he could do whatever he wanted with Henry and Lori and then Matt and Julie had to discipline them. Ha.

Then there was Gracie, who might as well have been on her own. She was a senior, she was going to graduate early and she already had a full athletic scholarship to UCLA. California. Ugh. He wasn't sure he liked that much, but she wanted it. Said she was born in the wrong state.

Then it would just be him and Tami. He frowned a little, thinking of some things. Sera was a pistol. She would be a ball-buster, obviously. She was a sweet kid. She had a huge imagination and she had that nice mix of laid back parent in Tim and the disciplinarian in Lyla. Plus their set of values were…well he was pretty sure that Sera would be fine there.

He nudged Tami. "Hey," he whispered.

"Hmm?" she mumbled, opening her eyes, looking up. "Yeah?"

"I kind of like this kid. I don't know what Tim was talking about, saying she tests her boundaries."

Tami blinked a few times. "Eric, she's five. She's going to test her boundaries no matter what. Besides, you just got a lot today."

"Tim said that she would be a handful and to call with problems. I mean…she's kind of off the wall but…" He didn't know what Tim was talking about.

Of course, maybe it was like how Matt and Julie were positive the twins would be terrors with him and Tami, but he never saw it that way.

Eric shrugged again. "This babysitting thing ain't so bad, that's all I'm trying to say."

"Hmm…well you know sweetheart you don't have to live with her. Or raise her. That's always different."

"That's why I'm saying it's not so bad."


	8. The Parents Return

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews. Enjoy.

* * *

"Can I have more ice cream?"

"Sorry Sera, but I think you're done with ice cream."

She shrugged, handing him her bowl, seated in the La-Z-Boy with piles of blankets, pillows, books, and toys around her. She hugged her blanket to her, slumping back in the chair, looking pitiful with a bandage on her arm from blood tests, her feet still in the little socks the hospital gave her.

After Tim and Lyla browbeat the hospital to release her back into his and Tami's custody, they stopped to get some soy ice cream, which she'd been gorging on, telling them it made her feel better.

They got her settled in the chair, which had become more like a throne and from where she'd been watching the Lion King multiple times, now way past her bedtime.

And he still hadn't gone outside to find that ring.

He went back into the living room, sitting beside her chair on the couch. "I like this song," he said, leaning back when they began to sing Hakuna Matata on the TV.

"It's my favorite," Sera agreed. She wiped at her nose, turning her head to look at him for a minute, her voice quiet. "Will you sing me a song tonight?"

"Actually it's almost morning." It was damn near eleven o'clock. Besides, he thought, smiling sideways. "And I think your Daddy might be home to sing you a song."

"Okay." She wiped her nose again, slipping out of the chair and crawling up into his lap, her head resting against his shoulder, the blanket in her arms.

He smiled a little, his arm over the back of the couch, the other leaning on the armrest. She fell back a little farther against him, her feet sticking out beside his leg. Little kids were funny. This movement might very well have been her saying she trusted him with her life. "You had a pretty exciting day Sera."

"Hmm."

He continued, his eyes still on the TV screen. "You got to come to football practice and give me a makeover and you cut your hair and you lost your daddy's championship ring and had to go to the hospital…pretty crazy if you ask me."

She nodded. "Okay."

"What was your favorite part?"

"Football," she whispered. She tilted her head back, smiling up at him. "Can I come tomorrow?"

"If your Daddy and Mommy say you can, I think we could make it a standing date."

"A date?" she giggled, shoving the blanket up over her face. She lowered it, her hazel eyes sparkling. "Are you my boyfriend Uncle Coach?"

"No way, you're too high maintenance for me."

"Besides," Tami drawled, walking into the living room, grinning at Sera, wagging her finger and coming to sit beside her. "I don't like to share him. I've been married to him now for almost thirty-five years."

"That's a very long time," Sera commented. She sniffed a few times, eyes wide. "Did you have a wedding dress?"

"I certainly did," Tami answered. She met his eyes, laughing. "And my sister stepped on it at the reception and tore the train, remember that Eric?"

"All I remember was you yelling at her and her saying that it was fine."

"It was a small wedding. Kind of like when your Mommy and Daddy got married," Tami said, tapping Sera's foot.

Sera pointed to the picture next to the entertainment unit. Lyla was sitting in the bed of the truck, laughing at Tim, who was leaning against it, the 'Just Married' sign draped across the back, and her bouquet hanging off the side in her hands. "That's them. It's my favorite picture. Mommy said I can have her dress, but I'm never getting married. Aunt Tyra says I can be like her and never get married and just have a guy who loves me. Or not. That's what she says. She's very smart." Sera sighed. "She's awesome."

"I think that's a very good goal to have," Tami agreed.

He shook his head, glancing back down at Sera. "You want to be a lot of things Sera. Don't change that," he whispered, reaching to ruffle her hair.

She giggled, a very smart and very astute five-year old, but still a five-year old. "I'm gonna' fly to the moon!"

"Or you could do that too."

Tami checked her phone, after it went off, rolling her eyes. "Gracie says she's spending the night again at Annabeth's, she doesn't want to come here."

"You tell her she should probably come over here."

"She's fine, she has early morning practice, she'll have to leave here at like four, and I'm telling her it's fine."

He grumbled, not fully agreeing. Sera patted his cheek. "Can't change women Uncle Coach," she said.

"Who said that?"

"Daddy."

"Your Daddy's mouth is going to get him in trouble if your Mommy ever finds out he says these things."

Several minutes later, the sound of the front door opening filled the house, a frantic voice yelling. "Sera! Seraphina!" Only one person called her by her full name.

"Mommy!" she exclaimed, scrambling off his lap, running and jumping into Lyla's arms. She giggled. "Mommy I missed you!"

"Oh God, baby I missed you too, come here, let me look at you, you okay?" Lyla felt her face, as mothers were wont to do when they thought their child was sick. She groaned, her forehead hitting Sera's. "Honey, I know we talked about it before, but you can't eat food when you don't…is your hair shorter?"

His eyes widened a little, shooting a glance at Sera and shaking his head slightly. Sera giggled. "No." Smoothly changing the subject, she pointed to him. "Uncle Coach saved my life."

"And Mommy is forever indebted to him," Lyla laughed, setting her down on the floor, where Sera ran off to tackle Tim, a loud 'oof!' coming from the foyer where she likely succeeded. Lyla moved towards him, hugging tight. "Thank you so much Coach Taylor. I can't thank you enough, she just…this isn't the first time she's done this and I am so sorry it was on your watch. She once ate eggs off of Billy's plate last time and we were in the hospital for most of Christmas morning."

"You'd do the same for one of my kids Lyla. If they were five and allergic to everything." He smiled, pulling away, frowning a bit. "How is Buddy?"

"Resting," she answered, her eyes closing briefly. She smiled. "He's going to be okay. He's going to be in ICU for awhile and then I'm going to bring him back here so I can watch him."

"I bet Tim's going to enjoy that."

"Tim is going to be his nurse, but Sera will make him feel better, she usually does."

He chuckled, nodding. "I can see that."

"Well sweetheart, we're going to stick around if you don't mind, I think you and Tim should get upstairs and shower and get to bed, we'll take care of Sera," Tami said, taking a bag from Lyla and setting it down near the stairs. She turned her around, amid Lyla's protests, silencing them with a firm look.

"Yes ma'am," Lyla mumbled, turning and going up the stairs.

Tim entered the living room, holding Sera on his hip, as she went on and on about how Uncle Coach saved her life. He kissed her temple, smiling at her. "Okay Sera, you can…"

"And then he stopped the dragon from eating me!"

"I think he gave you your medicine?"

"But the dragon was so big that he had to fight it away!"

What an imagination, Eric admired, shaking his head. He waited for Sera to stop with her story, her eyes on her father's. "Can I come to football practice all the time please?"

"We'll see."

"That means no," she grumbled, sliding down from his arms.

"We'll see means we'll see. Why don't you get your blanket and your toys and all that stuff and get upstairs? Thank you."

"Love you Daddy."

"To what?" he asked, smiling wide, not looking at her, waiting.

Sera ran and tackled him, her arms around his legs. "To the stars and back!"

"To the stars and back," he repeated, patting her shoulder. "Get on rugrat, I'll be up in a second…unless…" he trailed off, shrugging, glancing back to him. "You want Uncle Coach to take you?"

Sera nodded. "Yes! Tuck me in!"

Eric laughed, going with her upstairs to join her. He pushed Simba off the bed, waiting for her to crawl up into the canopy bed, cuddling with her stuffed animals and blanket. "You settled?"

"Yup. Hey, can I tell Mommy about my hair?"

"I think we should avoid it."

"Okay. Maybe I'll cut Daddy's hair so we match," she mumbled, reaching to touch at her hair, which was only about an inch or so shorter to account for the chunk she'd taken on her own.

"I think you should do that. Just to see what he does."

"Okay, tomorrow." She waited a second, eyes widening. "What about you and the car? He doesn't know."

"We'll keep that between us too."

She giggled. "Okay."

"Alright." He waited a minute, smiling. "What if you were hanging out with me all day tomorrow? Maybe even all weekend?"

Sera pursed her lips, her eyes squinting at his. "Is this a joke?"

"No joke."

"Well…you're not the worst babysitter."

"Oh? Who is the worst?"

"Uncle Landry. He makes me do math puzzles and watch science shows! I hate it. Aunt Tyra lets him. Ugh."

"Well we won't do math puzzles. We'll work on some more football plays." She was his secret weapon. She was like the Play Whisperer or something. "It's like a puzzle, but it's better."

"I like plays."

"I told you that you would, didn't I?"

Sera nodded, settling into her pillows, smiling and closing her eyes. "Night, night Uncle Coach."

"Night, night," he whispered, pushing to his feet. He waited a second, turning towards the door, pausing when she called back out.

"Uncle Coach?"

"Yeah?"

"When are we going to get the ring from Simba's poop?"

Damn.

Eric smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "We'll get your Daddy to do it."

She giggled, hiding behind her covers. "Okay."


	9. The Nanny

**A/N**: Thanks for all the reviews! I know some of it probably was a bit OOC from time to time, I just never know how to write Coach, but I'm going to keep trying. I'm (obviously) far more comfortable with Tim and Lyla. Glad people enjoyed this! Very nervous about posting my next fic, so I might take a break, as its a bit of a tearjerker, but probably the longest and one of my favorites I've written. We'll see. Enjoy this last chapter! There might be more Adventures of Coach and Sera in the future, if I can think of something.

* * *

The next morning, Tami got him up and going, heading downstairs to find that Tim and Lyla were already awake. It was amazing what a good night's sleep could do, he thought, taking in their much healthier appearances compared to the night before.

"We're off," Tami said, reaching to hug and kiss both of them. "We'll go to the hospital this afternoon, I have the info you texted me Lyla. If you need anything…"

"Thank you," Lyla said, smiling. She shrugged. "But I think we'll take Sera with us today. Unless…" She glanced at Tim, who was oddly quiet. She shrugged. "You want…"

"I think…" He shrugged.

She lifted her hand up. "Alright, but…"

"Well we could…"

"No, I don't want to…"

"Alright."

Eric frowned, watching them finish each other's sentences. He wondered how long it took him and Tami to do that, but they'd been doing that for the last twenty years now. It was an art.

Tim sighed heavily, smiling at both of them. "Well, we'll take her to Austin."

"Tim," Lyla groaned.

He scowled, his hands on his hips. He'd grown attached to the little drama queen known as Seraphina Riggins. "You know guys, you don't have to ask. I'll watch her again." He really wanted to go over some more plays with the Play Whisperer.

Tim continued, as though he didn't hear him, while Lyla rolled her eyes, walking out with Tami. "And you know, we'll just take her to Austin and…"

"I'll watch her again."

Tim sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "And she'll be all whiny and…"

He rolled his eyes. "Tim, I'll watch her again!"

"And then…"

"Riggins!"

Tim shut his mouth, blinking. "Yeah Coach?"

"I said I'll babysit her again. No big deal. We're here to help you and Lyla out during this time. We'll bring her to Austin tonight when we drive by, drop her off at your hotel there."

A slow smile pulled a bit on Tim's lips. He nodded. "Thank you Coach."

"Yeah, no problem."

They walked out together, Tim jerking his thumb back towards him. "Hey Garrity, I got us a babysitter."

Lyla just rolled her eyes. "Thank you," she said, smiling wide. "This is really appreciated, if we can do anything for you…"

"It's no big deal, Coach wants to watch her," Tim answered, smiling a little. Almost looking like a cat that ate a canary.

Wait a minute.

Eric narrowed his eyes for a second, seeing the look cross over Tim's features. "Wait a second…"

"Safe drive home Coach," Tim said, smiling quickly. He shrugged again. "You want to take her to practice, maybe even pick her up from school too?"

"Um…sure…" he said, drawing it out, his eyes narrowing as he figured it out. He chuckled, waving his finger at Tim. "You're doing this on purpose."

Tim just smiled. "Don't know what you're talking about Coach." He smiled a little. "By the way, sir, my Camaro has a dent in the side. What's that about?"

That would be from Sera crashing the door into the side of the Dillon fieldhouse. He shook his head, shrugging. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"And my glasses are broken. There's glitter all over my signed football helmet." Tim smiled again. "Sir."

"Tim," Lyla groaned, hanging her head in her hands. "Please don't do this."

"He wanted to watch her."

"And we will," Tami said, eyeing them all, uninterested in any games they were playing. She sighed, waving her hand. "Alright y'all, I'm getting out of here, Eric sweetheart, come on."

Eric stood at the base of the porch, turning and pretending like he just remembered on. "Oh, before I forget, Tim…Sera found your State ring and well…Simba got hold of it…"

"Wait…what?"

"Well, he…got rid of it, but I haven't gone to find it, so…" He shrugged, taking a few steps back, lifting his hand up to wave. "Good luck with that son."

Tim just stared at him, Lyla laughing behind her hand. "Wait, Coach…are you saying…"

"Happy hunting!"

"Admit it," Tami said, sitting beside him in the She laughed, obviously finding this whole thing funny. "One day with Seraphina Riggins and you're in love. You're her new favorite person, and I can't really disagree with her."

"I'm not in love," he grumbled. He sighed, smiling. Hell, he did like her a bit. "But Riggins does owe me for this. I think he just convinced me to be her fulltime babysitter or something. Kid was always trouble, I knew it."

Tami chuckled. "Well," she sighed, looking out the window. "If you don't want to watch her, I'm sure Gracie wouldn't mind being backup babysitter."

"Gracie and Sera? There's a combination I wouldn't want to mess with."

"Well, we'll bring her to Austin with us, she can watch Sera while we visit with Buddy, how's that?"

"Fine."

Later that day, he stopped at the preschool, with the note that Tim dropped off with him before they headed back to Austin so he could get Sera, and found her waiting on the steps, a bag packed beside her, her head in her hands. "There you are!" she exclaimed.

"I was on my way over."

"You're late."

He glanced at his watch. "No I'm not. I'm right on time."

"Oh, well…fine, whatever, let's go play some football!"

"Hold on." He removed his hand from behind his back, holding a folded Dillon jersey in his hands. "You need something."

"What is it?"

"This is your uniform. If you're going to be a real Panther, you have to have a jersey." Eric dropped the jersey, which he spent forever searching the old equipment room for, over her raised arms, smiling when she pulled it down to look at it. "There hasn't been a 33 on the team in a long time."

Sera's eyes lit up, giggling. "Just like Daddy's!"

"Kiddo you got something on your back too."

"What's it say?" she asked, trying to turn around to see it, pulling just enough to read, jumping and clapping her hands. "It says Riggins! That's my name!"

He laughed in spite of himself. "Come on Junior Coach. You ready?"

Sera saluted him, but giggled immediately after, all seriousness gone in seconds. "Always Coach."

He had to laugh, closing the car door after getting her into her booster seat and going around to get in the front seat.

A few hours later, after Sera had completely browbeat his giant football players into submission, listening to her over him, he had to wonder how he got himself into this mess.

"You her nanny or something Coach?" Luke asked.

He studied Sera, his lips pursed, arms crossed over his chest. She was sitting up on the shoulder of one of the defensive ends, wearing sunglasses, holding her clipboard, her whistle hanging around her neck, giggling and shouting orders.

Maybe I am her nanny, he realized. He turned his head, waiting a moment. "Luke, go coach."

"Yes sir."

"I'm not a nanny," he grumbled.

Sera waved at him from atop the defensive end. "Hi Uncle Coach!"

"Hey Sera."

He waited a beat, frowning. Hell, maybe he was.

"Coach!"

He lifted his head, rolling his eyes at the sight of Sera kicking one of his players in the shins, yelling about how it wasn't nice to call people names. Damn. "Coming!" he called, jogging over to calm her down.

Riggins owed him.

THE END


End file.
